10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
+$14,552at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Private for-profit · ONLINE-ONLY COLLEGE
Walden University
Administrative location: Minneapolis, MN · 64 field-and-degree records
Earnings reported for 60 · Federal debt reported for 15
Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Positive payoff
+$14,552 over 10 years
Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.
9.6 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
+5%Estimated return after 10 years
$77,982Observed earnings · year 5
$37,455Highest annual price before payoff reaches $0
The price benchmark is $3,638 per year below this threshold.
Start with your question
What do you want to understand?
ECONOMIC INVESTMENT → PAYBACK
Estimated payoff over ten years.
The scenario counts direct price and earnings forgone upfront, then applies the reported annual earnings premium.
FEDERAL COST DATA
Four ways to read college price.
Annual college-wide figures from the current College Scorecard release. Average net price covers full-time, first-time undergraduates receiving federal aid; public-college figures use in-state students. Program tuition and individual aid offers may differ.
PUBLISHED STUDENT BUDGET · 2024–25
What makes up the annual price?
Sticker-price components reported to IPEDS. Grants and scholarships are not subtracted here.
Living off campus: $17,820 housing and food allowance plus $5,040 in other expenses.
Do not confuse this with net price. Net price subtracts average grants and scholarships. DegreeVerdict continues to use the separately labeled average net price in its standard college ROI scenario.
PRICE SENSITIVITY
The price can change the verdict.
Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.
← Negative payoff$0Positive payoff →
$0Annual price+$149,820
$12,000Annual price+$101,820
$24,000Annual price+$53,820
$34,000Current college-wide context+$13,820
$36,000Annual price+$5,820
$48,000Annual price−$42,180
$60,000Annual price−$90,180
HOW STUDENTS ATTEND · 2023-24
Attendance format is not fully reported.
IPEDS enrollment counts show course delivery across the whole institution. They do not indicate whether a specific degree can be completed online.
Institution-level attendance context from IPEDS. Program delivery is reported separately on degree pages and in the program directory. These figures do not enter ROI.
College identity and local contextAccreditation, institution type, dual enrollment and state prices
COLLEGE AT A GLANCE
Institution details
Current federal characteristics describing the college, not the outcomes of a specific program.
- Accreditor
- Higher Learning Commission
- Main award level
- Bachelor’s degrees
- Campus setting
- City
- Admissions
- Open admission
- Delivery
- Online-only institution
- Federal designation
- No special designation reported
STATE PRICE CONTEXT · 2024
Prices in Minnesota run 1% below the U.S. level.
BEA Regional Price Parities compare price levels across states. A value of 100 equals the national average.
What it costs and what graduates earn
$33,817Average net price / year
$35,358Cost of attendance
$20,834Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$221/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$77,982Median earnings · year 5 after completion
Not availableCompletion rate
Not availableAdmission rate
9,136Student size
Debt covers federal student-loan borrowers who completed. It does not include Parent PLUS or private loans. We show admissions scores only when a valid federal value is available.
What the numbers say about Walden University
What does Walden University cost?
Walden University reports an average annual net price of $33,817 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.
What do Walden University graduates earn?
The observed median earnings figure is $77,982 5 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.
How much federal debt do Walden University graduates have?
Completer borrowers report median cumulative federal student debt of $20,834. Parent PLUS and private loans are not included.
Is every degree at Walden University worth the same?
No. The current release contains 64 field-and-degree records for Walden University; 60 report year-4 earnings and 15 report federal debt. Outcomes can differ substantially by field and degree level.
DEBT AFTER COLLEGE
Are borrowers making progress?
Repayment progress, default and debt at exit describe different federal borrower cohorts. They are shown separately and do not change the ROI estimate.
Source: College Scorecard. Repayment progress is the share of borrowers who reduced principal by at least $1 at the stated measurement point. Debt covers federal student loans; Parent PLUS and private loans are excluded. Cohorts and reporting periods differ across measures.
Who studied here during the year
80,290Students enrolled at any point
17,024Undergraduate students
63,266Graduate students
Unduplicated students enrolled at any point from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025. This full-year measure is different from a fall headcount and does not enter ROI.
More student and earnings detailPrice by family income, retention, equity and common industries
WHO PAYS, WHO FINISHES, WHO EARNS
Outcomes are not the same for every family.
These federal cohorts add context that a single college average can hide. Missing figures remain unreported rather than estimated.
Completion rate not reported
27% received a Pell Grant within eight yearsMedian Parent PLUS debt
19 parent borrowers in the reported cohortMedian federal student debt
29% making progress in repayment after three yearsStudent family incomeMedian earnings after 10 yearsObserved federal cohorts
Lower income$34,009Earnings are not a guarantee
Middle income$57,599Earnings are not a guarantee
Higher income$83,853Earnings are not a guarantee
Three-year repayment progress
Lower income23%
Middle income35%
Higher income56%
Undergraduate student composition
White39%
Black42%
Hispanic10%
Asian2%
Source: College Scorecard, June 2026 release. Parent PLUS debt belongs to parents; student-debt measures exclude Parent PLUS and private loans. Cohort definitions differ by measure.
NATIONAL CONTEXT
How this college compares
Percentiles compare this institution with currently operating colleges that report the same federal measure.
WHAT STANDS OUT
A faster read on this college
These summaries use every reportable field-and-credential record at this institution. They do not fill privacy-suppressed outcomes.
EARNINGS OVER TIME
What graduates earned in later years
$76,759Year 1
$83,334Year 4
$77,982Year 5
Each year can represent a different federal cohort, so the points do not track the same people over time.
Your choice of degree can change the payoff.
Graduate earnings differ by field and credential, even within the same college.
1Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Doctoral Degree$132,4212Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Master's Degree$122,8233Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General · Doctoral Degree$113,7234Management Information Systems and Services · Master's Degree$109,8745Public Health · Doctoral Degree$108,9516Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Bachelor's Degree$106,8927Business Administration, Management and Operations · Doctoral Degree$105,4328Public Administration · Doctoral Degree$100,861Observed year-4 earnings · compare the same field and credential across colleges
Programs that stand out against the same-degree benchmark
This view rewards performance relative to the same field and credential, not simply majors that pay more everywhere.
1Curriculum and InstructionMaster's Degree · $80,064 reported+26%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt2Communication and Media StudiesNon-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification) · $68,442 reported+25%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt3Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's Degree · $106,892 reported+20%vs same-degree national median$32,800federal debt4Business Administration, Management and OperationsNon-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification) · $74,472 reported+19%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt5Business/Corporate CommunicationsBachelor's Degree · $74,633 reported+13%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt6Human Services, GeneralBachelor's Degree · $55,040 reported+13%vs same-degree national median$50,495federal debt
Comparable online colleges nationwide
Currently operating online-only private for-profit institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Administrative location is not treated as the student market.
Norwood, MA
FINE Mortuary College
- Annual net price
- $27,385
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $70,630
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -11%
Capella University
- Annual net price
- $17,956
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $75,078
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- +19%
South University-Savannah Online
- Annual net price
- $28,049
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $59,826
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -49%
Columbia Southern University
- Annual net price
- $14,580
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $73,127
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- +18%
Compare fields and degree levels
Showing the 40 highest-earning records from 64 field-and-degree records. Use the program directory to search the complete set.
| Major or field | Degree level | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | 2024–25 graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Doctoral Degree | $132,421 | Not available | 414 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Master's Degree | $122,823 | Not available | 635 |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General | Doctoral Degree | $113,723 | Not available | 13 |
| Management Information Systems and Services | Master's Degree | $109,874 | Not available | Not reported |
| Public Health | Doctoral Degree | $108,951 | Not available | 133 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Bachelor's Degree | $106,892 | $32,800 | Not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Doctoral Degree | $105,432 | Not available | 267 |
| Public Administration | Doctoral Degree | $100,861 | Not available | 112 |
| Social Work | Doctoral Degree | $99,933 | Not available | 35 |
| Education, General | Doctoral Degree | $94,881 | Not available | 229 |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services | Doctoral Degree | $92,301 | Not available | Not reported |
| Educational Administration and Supervision | Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification) | $91,353 | Not available | Not reported |
| Medical Illustration and Informatics | Master's Degree | $91,306 | Not available | 11 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | Master's Degree | $91,087 | Not available | Not reported |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | Bachelor's Degree | $89,230 | $52,459 | 28 |
| Homeland Security | Master's Degree | $86,888 | Not available | Not reported |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | Doctoral Degree | $85,639 | Not available | 53 |
| Public Policy Analysis | Master's Degree | $84,035 | Not available | Not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Master's Degree | $82,853 | Not available | 13 |
| Psychology, General | Doctoral Degree | $80,203 | Not available | 105 |
| Curriculum and Instruction | Master's Degree | $80,064 | Not available | 3 |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management | Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification) | $79,752 | Not available | Not reported |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | Master's Degree | $79,613 | Not available | Not reported |
| Curriculum and Instruction | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $77,566 | Not available | Not reported |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology | Doctoral Degree | $77,515 | Not available | 140 |
| Education, General | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $74,809 | Not available | Not reported |
| Business/Corporate Communications | Bachelor's Degree | $74,633 | Not available | Not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification) | $74,472 | Not available | Not reported |
| Accounting and Related Services | Master's Degree | $73,233 | Not available | Not reported |
| Public Health | Master's Degree | $72,906 | Not available | Not reported |
| Human Services, General | Doctoral Degree | $72,722 | Not available | 66 |
| Curriculum and Instruction | Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification) | $71,589 | Not available | Not reported |
| Human Resources Management and Services | Master's Degree | $69,182 | Not available | Not reported |
| Marketing | Master's Degree | $68,462 | Not available | Not reported |
| Communication and Media Studies | Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification) | $68,442 | Not available | Not reported |
| Public Administration | Master's Degree | $68,434 | Not available | Not reported |
| Human Resources Management and Services | Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification) | $67,185 | Not available | Not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Bachelor's Degree | $66,978 | $48,541 | 142 |
| Education, General | Master's Degree | $64,694 | Not available | Not reported |
| Education, General | Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification) | $64,549 | Not available | Not reported |
Graduate counts come from IPEDS and group related majors into the same federal field. Missing earnings or debt values remain labeled as unavailable.
Search every Walden University program record →Earnings, price, completion and enrollment are observed federal measures. ROI, payoff and break-even are modeled scenarios built from those measures and fixed assumptions. College payoff is not the payoff of every degree at this school; use the program table for a more precise comparison.